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Brain regions and genes affecting limb-clasping responses

R Lalonde1, C Strazielle

  • 1Université de Rouen, Faculté des Sciences, Dépt. Psychologie, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan Cedex, France. robert.lalonde@univ-rouen.fr

Brain Research Reviews
|March 2, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Rodents extend limbs when falling, but brain and spinal cord defects cause abnormal flexion. This reveals crucial neural pathways involved in motor responses to falling.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Adult rodents exhibit an automatic limb extension reflex when suspended and lowered.
  • This reflex is crucial for anticipating landing and preventing injury.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the limb extension reflex in rodents.
  • To characterize motor abnormalities in mouse models with neurological deficits.

Main Methods:

  • Observation of limb movements in adult rodents during a controlled descent.
  • Analysis of motor phenotypes in genetically modified mice with brain and spinal cord pathologies.

Main Results:

  • Wild-type rodents extend all four limbs upon descent.
  • Mutant mice with cerebellar, basal ganglia, or neocortical lesions, and Alzheimer's models, display abnormal limb flexion, including paw-clasping and a bat-like posture.
  • These abnormal responses suggest disruptions in specific neural circuits.

Conclusions:

  • The study identifies cerebello-cortico-reticular and cortico-striato-pallido-reticular pathways as critical for the normal limb extension reflex.
  • Neurotransmitter systems, including noradrenaline and serotonin, may play a role in modulating this response.
  • Deficits in these pathways lead to distinct motor pathologies, offering insights into neurological disorders.

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